


Shake it Off

by stewieismyhomeboy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Dad!Tony Stark, F/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Slow Romance, Tony Stark Has A Heart, curse words
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 10:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17548355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stewieismyhomeboy/pseuds/stewieismyhomeboy
Summary: Kathryn Blumenthal-Stark, or Katie to her friends, is the brilliant daughter of Tony Stark. She is also one half of the New York social elite's It Couple. However, when their facade breaks after he puts her in the hospital, Katie's world shakes up, and the world around her has shifted. As she tries to figure out her new normal, she can't help but notice Bucky Barnes, and he can't help but fall for her either. However, her dad is not so quick to let bygones be bygones, especially when his precious little girl is involved.





	1. All of the ghouls come out to play

     Kathryn Maria Blumenthal-Stark, or Katie as she preferred, was walking in her apartment, well around dinner time, when her phone started ringing. She grabbed it from somewhere in her bag to see who it was. When she found her phone, she felt a twinge of guilt. It was her father, Tony Stark.

     She hadn’t really talked to her father since her boyfriend, Zack, and he got into a fight at an Avengers party six months ago. It had happened right after he walked in on her and Zack fighting. Zack never told her what he said exactly, just that her dad was trying to break them up, so, for Zack, she started talking to her dad less and less.

     “Hey Dad, what’s up?” she answered.

     “Hey Kate, haven’t talked to you in a while, how’s it been hanging?”

     “It hasn’t been that long, Dad.”

     “Ooh, pretty sure Star Wars was still making prequels last time we talked.”

     She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh please, it hasn’t been that long.”

     “Well it has been long enough for me to learn that you’re just about in the middle of your last quarter before you become Dr. Kathryn Blumenthal-Stark!” he said.

     “God, please don’t call me that, it’s not like anyone calls you ‘Dr. Anthony Stark’.”

     “No, but I tried.” He admitted, which got an eye roll from her.

     Just then, her boyfriend, Zackary Harrington, had walked in their apartment, taking off his work bag, an over-the-shoulder messenger bag. Zack had brown hair that exceeded his chin, his facial hair short and unkempt, and deep brown eyes. Zack was the son of a billionaire real estate developer and was currently working at Troik, a hedge-fund company specializing in tech startups. “Hey, sweetie, who you talking to?” He asked, walking over to kiss her on the lips.

     She kissed him back, and replied, “My dad.” As soon as those words escaped her mouth, he began to stiffen up, his face scrunching and his brows furrowing.

     “So, how have you been doing on the job front?” Tony asked.

     “Oh, sent in a few applications to places. Not much, really.” She shrugged.

     “Well, you know, I could really use some help upstate here at headquarters. I could teach you how the suits work, you could make your own, you could even take over for your not-that-old man, someday.” He said, in a not-so-subtle suggestion.

     “Dad, I don’t know, Zack has his work here with Troik, it wouldn’t really work for us to move so far out from the city.”

     “Well, _he_ doesn’t have to move with you.” He had said, with clear malice on the word “he”.

      Katie had paused to give her father a deadpan look through the phone that he may not have seen, but no doubt could feel through the phone. “Dad.”

      “Katie, I don’t like how he treats you.” Tony started again, a conversation that has happened ever since that fight six months ago.

      “Dad, I told you, it was that one time, and it wasn’t even that big of a deal.” She explained again, looking over to see Zack’s face had really hardened into a glare.

      “You and I both know it wasn’t the first time, it wasn’t the last time, and it’s just going to keep continuing until you leave him.” He began lecturing her.

      “Dad, for the last time, he is not abusing me!” she yelled.

      “Yes, he is! What I saw that night was not a little spat, he called you a whore, grabbed your arm, and you screamed ‘stop, you’re hurting me’. That was abuse and I will not stand for my daughter being treated that way.” He yelled right back at her.

      “He’s not treating me that way, now do you have anything else you wanted to say or did you just want to lecture to me about something that is not going on?” she said, exasperated.

      Over the phone, she could hear her father sigh deeply. As bull-headed as Tony Stark could be on his own, he knew his own daughter was quite a match for him in the stubborn department. “I just wanted to say congratulations on making it to midterms in your last quarter of school, I can’t wait to see you graduate, and that the offer to work at Avengers HQ is still, and always will be, open.”

      “Thanks again dad, I’ll let you know more about the ceremony details when it happens, okay?” She said in a softer voice, to try and undo the fight between them that had just happened.”

     “Thanks, I love you, Katie.” He said, his tone low and sad.

     “I love you too, dad. Have a good night.” She half-smiled, hanging up on him.

     “Why do you keep talking to him?” Zack said, his nose twitching up in a snarl.

     “He’s my dad, Zack! He just needs to realize that I’m an adult who is going to date.”

     “He keeps trying to break us up, Kate, you need to tell him he needs to accept we are dating or you will stop talking to him completely,” Zack said to her, pointing his finger at her as if he were instructing her.

     “Zack, you know I can’t do that!” she cried.

     “If you were serious about us, you would do it.” He said, looking at her in an accusing way.

     “Zack, that’s so unfair, he’s my dad! I love you both, I can’t choose between you two!” she cried, almost begging him.

     He rolled his eyes and started unpacking some of his stuff from work. “Did you make anything for dinner?” he asked.

     “Sorry, I got so sidetracked revising my dissertation, I didn’t get home until just now.” She apologized.

     “That’s fine, honey. You’ve been working so hard. I’ll call us in Chinese for dinner, okay?” he said, rubbing her shoulder trying to make her forget that earlier outburst.

     She thanked him, kissed him on the lips, and went to take a shower while he called in their dinner. As she washed her body, she winced, then looked at a bruise she had on her shoulder from about a week ago. Was her dad right? No, it wasn’t like he was beating her. He just grabbed her shoulder when they were arguing about her staying out with a friend too late. And besides, before that, they hadn’t even had an argument for a month, and he hadn’t gotten physical with her since that fight they had at her dad’s party. He wasn’t abusive, they’re both under a lot of stress as she’s finishing up her Ph.D.

     When she walked out of the shower, she saw the delivery guy in the door, Zack thanking him, and closing the door, with the bags of their food in his hand. She walked into their room and put on her pajama pants and a camisole, as he was taking out plates and putting them on the table for them. The two of them then began eating, Zack being more chatty and affectionate, especially when compared to earlier.

     After dinner, Katie offered to wash the dishes. Then Zack got in his pajamas, and the two of them sat down to watch a movie on Netflix. In the middle of the movie, Katie paused it to go to the bathroom. When she came back, she saw Zack holding her phone, looking at her angrily.

     “Who the hell is Mikey?” He demanded.

     “Are you being serious right now?” She said, with her eyebrow raised.

     “Yeah, who is Mikey, and why does he want to take you out to lunch?” He yelled.

     “He’s a guy getting his Master’s who also has Dr. Morrow as a mentor, I’ve been helping him in a class, he probably just wants to thank me for that.”

     “Or he wants to have sex with you.”

     “I highly doubt that, because Mikey is gay.” She yelled.

     “And you’re just so sure of this?” He said, rolling his eyes.

     “He introduced me to his boyfriend, who he then started kissing, so yeah, pretty damn sure.” She continued yelling. “Why are you even looking through my phone anyway?”

     “Because you just love flirting with other guys, and then your phone goes off and I see this guy asking you to lunch—”

     “I what?” She interrupted, loudly offended by what she just heard.

     “Oh don’t think I notice how you always talk to other guys, flipping your hair, laughing at their jokes.” He accused.

     “I laugh at funny jokes!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I flip my hair when it’s in my way. Jesus, you of all people should know that when I like someone, I am way more forward than that.”

     “But it all started with you laughing at my jokes, didn’t it?” He tilted his head, smirking.

     “I laughed at your jokes because you were funny!” she yelled.

     “Oh, and I’m not funny anymore?” He continued smirking.

     “Right now? No. You’re an insecure, jealous, paranoid asshole with a quick temper.” She smirked right back.

     He backed her against the wall in their living room, his glare hard against her. “Say it again.” He gritted through his teeth in a dare.

     “You’re an insecure, jealous, paranoid asshole—” She started, interrupted by his hands wrapping around her neck.

     “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” He said as she scratched his arms to try and escape. “I’m getting really sick of you acting like you’re better than me.”

     She stopped scratching as she started losing consciousness, but he let go too late, as she had completely lost consciousness, falling on the ground when he finally let go.

     “Oh shit.” He murmured to himself, rushing to the phone to call an ambulance.

 

     Tony was in another meeting with the new Avengers, debriefing the last mission. Ever since the “Infinity War”, the Avengers roster has grown significantly. On the permanent team, there was Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, and his two friends, Sam “Falcon” Wilson, and Bucky “White Wolf” Barnes. Natasha Romanoff was still a part of the team, and Tony long suspected she would never leave. Tony’s good friend, James “War Machine” Rhodes was there, along with his “science bro” Bruce “The Hulk” Banner. Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff and Vision were both on the team and growing strong as a romantic couple. Also new to the team was Carol “Captain Marvel” Danvers, a woman with alien blood who could absorb energy from a nuclear weapon and blast it back out. Also, she is a pilot.

     They had Thor, his brother, Loki, and the warrior woman Brunnhilde, a legendary Valkyrie on speed dial in case the next intergalactic super bad guy came to town, and Peter Parker, who called himself Spider-Man, came up to headquarters on weekends for training. Also, Doctor Stephen Strange was just in the city for any magical issues they had, and was frequently in contact with Wanda, as they were beginning to discover the extent of her powers. But in front of him was the regular roster of the nine others on the team.

     Despite the mission being yet another success, especially since they had taken out another HYDRA base, Steve still insisted each mission would have a debrief three days later. Just as well, since the Accords did mean the Avengers would be doing more paperwork.

     It was then when Tony’s cell phone began ringing. As Steve began to chide Tony for not putting his phone on silent, Tony greeted the caller. “Hello, this is Tony Stark.”

     “I’m amazed he didn’t add Iron Man, co-head of Stark Industries and some other accolade in there,” Natasha said, the others lightly chuckling.

     “Hi Mr. Stark, this is Adrienne, from Metro-General, your daughter, Katie, was just admitted in the E.R., and we see you and your ex-wife are listed as emergency contacts.

     Tony was in such a shock, he didn’t even correct her by saying he never married Katie’s mom. “I just talked to her a couple hours ago, and she was fine.”

     “Well, she appears to have lost consciousness from what looks like strangulation. She still has a pulse and is gaining back her breathing, but she has yet to regain consciousness. We’re admitting her to a room right now, and we’ll be happy to give you her room number once you arrive.”

     “Thanks, Adrienne, did you say strangulation?” He asked.

     “I can’t say for sure, but the nurse says that’s what it looks like to her. A doctor is on their way to look at her now that she has a room.”

     “I’ll fucking kill him,” Tony muttered to himself.

     “Oh, Steve, I think Tony said a bad word.” Natasha teased Steve.

     “Natasha, I swear to God…” Steve rolled his eyes.

     “Mr. Stark, are you okay?” Adrienne asked over the phone.

     “Yes, I’m fine, I’ll be there as quick as I can. Thank you.” Tony said, hanging up the phone.

     “Who was that?” Rhodey asked Tony.

     “Katie’s in the hospital, I’m going to go down and see her,” Tony said.

     “Is she okay?” Steve asked, his look soft with concern for Tony, and Katie, who he also considered a friend.

     “No, her piece of shit boyfriend strangled her.”

     “Oh Steve, look! Tony said another bad word!” Sam laughed, pointing at Tony.

     “Sam, seriously?” Steve furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.

     “Wait, who’s Katie, again?” Carol asked.

     “Tony’s daughter. She and her boyfriend were at that party six months ago.” Natasha explained.

     “Short, mid-length brown hair with bangs, I think was wearing combat boots?” Wanda added.

     “No, it was short flower dress and Chuck Taylors.” Bucky corrected.

     “Oh yeah, the girl in the Converse shoes.” Carol nodded.

     “Any way…” Tony interrupted them annoyed. “I’m heading down to Manhattan, I’ll be gone for a few days keeping my daughter away from that shithead.”

     As Natasha began to open her mouth, Steve interrupted, “Don’t you dare Romanoff.”

     “Actually Steve, I was going to tell Tony that it’s like, a four-hour drive to the city,” Natasha said.

     “And I’m like, Iron Man,” Tony said back. “I’ll fly there.”

     “You’re going to fly in your suit down to Manhattan?” Rhodey raised an eyebrow quizzically.

    “The kids’ll love it, Rhodey.” Tony shrugged and dashed off to the roof to take off in his suit for Metro-General.


	2. Pockets full of stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets to the hospital to see Katie, and discusses with her mother and his ex, Jen, what to do. When he goes to her apartment to gather things for her, he can't help but reflect on his daughter, and almost starts seething with rage again how the man she loved could hurt her.

     Tony had arrived at the hospital and was greeted by his ex and the mother of his daughter, Jennifer Blumenthal, a blonde woman with long, wavy hair, about 5’4, with the deep blue eyes and full lips that she had shared with their daughter. When he met her, she was Jenny, a senior journalism student at the University of Southern California, who he met at a party in Los Angeles. His parents had just died, so the two of them went fast and hard. After only three months of dating, she got pregnant, they tried to give it a shot for their child. She moved to Malibu, went to work at a local TV news station. When Katie was 2, Tony had cheated on Jen, so she broke up with him, and moved out to Los Angeles with their daughter, and Tony saw Katie on weekends, until she was 9, when Jen got a job at CNN in New York, so Katie would spend summers in Malibu with Tony, when he would clean himself up the entire time.

     To the world, Jen was the hardass who told a senator on live television that he was a spineless coward. To Tony, Jen was a good friend, who was honest, but caring. Jen was even good friends with Pepper. Jen remarried to a former music journalist named Lisa Yakamoto.

     Now, Jen was sitting right next to their daughter, whose eyes were closed, and hooked up to a machine reading her slow pulse. Jen was staring intently at Katie, her face distraught with worry.

     When Tony walked in the room, Jen looked over. “Tony, how’d you get here so fast?”

     “I flew.” He shrugged. “How is she?”

     “The doctor came in, she does have a pulse and is still breathing, but it’s taking her a while to regain consciousness.”

     “Where is he?” Tony demanded.

     “They took Zack down to the police station. He’s been saying it was an accident, but the hospital told him it was standard protocol to keep couples away from each other when they suspect one has injured the other.” Jen explained.

     “It wasn’t a damn accident.”

     “I know Tony, but that kind of talk is not going to help her when she wakes up, it’s just going to drive her away.” Jen cautioned him, trying to calm him down.

     “Jen, our daughter is dating a psychopath!”

     “You know as well as I do that we can’t force her away from him. She’s your daughter, after all.”

     “Yours too.” He shrugged.

     They both looked back over at her, who hadn’t stirred one bit. They both sighed with sadness. “What are we going to do?” Tony asked.

     “For once, you don’t have the answer?” Jen raised an eyebrow.

     “Not with her.” Tony shook his head. “You seem to be better at figuring her out than me. I just drive her away.”

     “It’s not your fault, it’s not like they give out handbooks on what to do when your child has horrible taste in men.” Jen sighed. “Lisa and I have a place just a few blocks away, she can stay with me during the week while she finishes school. And maybe on weekends, you can take her upstate to have her train with one of your friends, in case Zack comes back, especially if we can’t get her to press charges.”

     Just as Tony had agreed to the plan, the heart monitor began beeping faster, and they looked over to see Katie’s eyes fluttering open.

     “Mom…dad?” she quietly muttered, her eyes narrowing in confusion. They both zoomed over to her side, trying to steady her so she didn’t get out of the bed. “Where’s Zack?” she asked.

     “They took him down to the station to ask him questions.” Jen soothed her. “The doctor will be here, let me just go tell the nurse you’re awake, okay?” Katie nodded, leaving her alone with her dad.

     “Dad, I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.” She croaked out.

     “Don’t worry about it, cinnamon bun.” He smiled. “Water under the bridge.”

     Jen came back in, and the two of them began talking Katie into their plan. She gave a bit of resistance, but Jen was able to talk her into it, telling her she needed to focus on getting her doctorate. It wasn’t too long until a blonde-haired woman, who looked to be around 40, wearing scrubs and displaying a badge came in.

     “Hi, I’m Dr. Christine Palmer, you must be Kathryn, right?” She looked at Katie.

     “You can call me Katie if you want.” She had muttered out.

     “Katie.” She smiled and nodded. “I talked to your mother a bit earlier, this must be your dad?” she pointed at Tony.

     “Tony Stark.” Tony had introduced himself.

     Dr. Palmer nodded, then looked back at Katie. “Do you want to tell me what happened? I need you to be honest with me, so I can do my best.”

     There was a moment of silence, until Dr. Palmer grabbed Katie’s hand softly, and looked at her with gentle eyes. “There’s no judgment in here, I just want to make sure I’m giving you the best care I can.”

     There was another pause until Katie started speaking up. “My boyfriend and I…we got in a fight. He…he put his hands around my throat, like he was choking me. I tried scratching him. Then I passed out…I think. Everything was black, and now I’m here.”

     Dr. Palmer nodded, then asked, “Do you mind if I look at your throat? I just need you to tilt your chin up a bit so I can get a good look.” Katie responded by tilting her chin up, as Dr. Palmer lightly touched it, her eyes examining it. “I don’t feel any lesions, just some bruising. Is this the first time you’ve been choked?” Katie nodded.

     Dr. Palmer then asked her to swallow, which Katie did, although it did feel like she had a lump in her throat. Dr. Palmer then used the stethoscope to listen to her breathing and heartbeat, which was faster than normal, but the doctor didn’t seem to be too worried. She then started asking Katie how her hearing and seeing were, and if she could feel anything in her fingers, and how her ears felt.

     “Well, I do not see any long-lasting damage right now, but I will give you some symptoms of brain damage, and if you’re feeling any, please call the hospital and come back.” Dr. Palmer said. “Do you know where you’ll be staying?”

     “She’s coming home with me,” Jen spoke up. “I have a place a few blocks away. She’s also going upstate with Tony on the weekends.”

     “Then I’ll give both of you copies, so you can also be on the lookout for any signs of brain damage, although I don’t see any.” They both nodded, and Dr. Palmer left the room, instructing Katie to rest up for a little bit.

     A few minutes later, a nurse came in and looked at Katie. “Hello Katie, my name’s Maura, I’m going to be your nurse tonight.” She introduced herself. Katie smiled weakly at the nurse. “Detective Johnson from the NYPD will be here in a few, he wants to ask you some questions, do you feel up to that?”

     “Do I need a lawyer present?” She asked the nurse.

     “I don’t think so, he just wants to know what happened,” Maura answered. Katie agreed, although apprehensively.

     When the detective had arrived, he was also talking softly. Katie was beginning to feel like she was being treated like glass. He had asked for her parents to leave the room, sat in a chair facing her, and the questioning began.

     “So, Miss Blumenthal-Stark, can you walk me through everything that happened?” he asked in a New York accent so thick, she felt like she was talking to a character on Law & Order.

     “Well, my boyfriend, Zack and I, we got into a fight.”

     “Do these fights happen a lot?”

     “They didn’t use to, but I’ve been under a lot of stress working on my Ph.D., and he’s been under a lot of stress at work, they’ve got some deal going through or whatever.”

     “What did you two fight about tonight?”

     “Well, when I got home, my dad called, and my dad and Zack don’t really like each other.”

     “Is there a reason why? Or is it just typical ‘dad doesn’t like his daughter dating’ stuff?”

     “It was a little like that at first, you know, but then after the Infinity War, my dad threw a party at the Avengers headquarters, and Zack and I got in a fight at the party, and dad walked in on it.”

     “What was that fight about?”

     “I was flirting with some of the guys there. I mean, Zack said I was flirting with them, but I didn’t think I was.”

     “What happened when your dad walked in?”

     “Well, Zack had grabbed me pretty hard, and then dad rushed me out of the room, telling me that Steve wanted to see me about his smartphone.”

     “Who’s Steve?”

     “Rogers.” He paused, looking quizzical. “You know, Captain America?”

     Detective Johnson than nodded, and continued. “Do you know what happened after that?”

     “Zack said my dad told him to break it off. I told him to stay out of my love life.”

     “Back to tonight, anything else?”

     “Well, I got a text message from this guy getting his master’s with the same mentor as me, Mikey. He was asking me if he could take me out to lunch sometime?”

     “Do you know why he wanted to take you out to lunch?”

     “Because I was helping him with a class he had that I had already taken.”

     “Is that how Zack saw it?”

     “No, even though I told him Mikey was gay, he said I always flirt with guys.”

     “Why does he think that?”

     She shrugged. “Then we got angrier, and he backed me against the wall, and started choking me.”

     “You said he grabbed you at your dad’s party. Has he gotten physical with you any other time?”

     She paused. “A few, but nothing serious. This is the only time I’ve been in the hospital over it.”

     “Is it always other guys that gets him angry?”

     “I mean, sometimes. Sometimes he’s just upset that I was out too late.”

     “Out late working?”

     “I mean, no…out late with friends at the bar.”

     “I see…have either of you had any problems with infidelity?”

     “No, but his last girlfriend was always out late.”

     The detective paused for a moment. “Would it be all right if I could look at that text message?”

     “Why?” She asked.

     “I’m just gathering evidence, ma’am.”

     “Evidence for what?”

     “A case against Mr. Harrington is being made by the state, and it would help us lock him away if you were to help us build a case against him.”

     “I don’t want him locked away.” She said.

     He paused, seeming annoyed. “May I ask why?”

     “He’s not a violent criminal, we’re just going through some stuff right now.”

     He paused again, then stood up. “Well, if you do change your mind, I will leave you my card. Thank you for your time, Miss Blumenthal-Stark. Get better soon.” He had left the room, and while she could not see outside of her room, she knew he was talking to her parents. No doubt he was going to talk to her dad next, corroborating that story from the party.

     She knew this to be the case when her mom walked back in, but not her dad.

     “He’s talking to dad, isn’t he?” Katie asked.

     “He’s just gathering evidence.” Her mom said, petting her hair.  

     Katie paused, then sighed “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

     “Katie, you did the right thing.”

     “No, I didn’t, now Zack is going to be arrested, and his whole company is going to be in trouble.”

     “Don’t worry about that, sweetie. What’s important is you.”

     Katie paused again. “They’re going to make me testify against him, won’t they?”

     “They can’t force you to testify against him, but it would be helpful if you did.”

     “What if I don’t testify?”

     “Well…” her mom took a deep breath. “It could mean the DA could throw out the case, but it could also make no difference.”

     “Then I’m not testifying against him.”

     “Kathryn!” Her mom nearly yelled.

     “Mom, I love him, I don’t want him to get in trouble!”

     Her mom sighed again, then started, “I can’t force you, I can only say that if you don’t, he’ll probably do it again, to you, or someone else.” Katie interjected again, and her mother raised a hand, then continued “I’m not going to say anymore, I’ll let you make that decision yourself.”

     It was at this point her dad walked back in, meaning the detective had gone.

     “What did you tell him?” Katie asked.

     “Well, he told me you mentioned that fight you and Zack had at the Infinity War party six months ago, so I told him what happened.” Her dad had answered.

     “I shouldn’t have said anything.” She said, wishing she could kick herself.

     “I’m glad you did.” He said, trying to comfort her.

     “Of course you are, now that Zack is going to be arrested, you got exactly what you wanted.” She fumed.

     Another sigh came from her dad. “Kathryn, this isn’t about what I want, this is about justice.”

     Kathryn rolled her eyes. “What are you, Batman?”

     “Kathryn, that’s enough!” Her mother said, crossing her arms. “Your dad was doing what’s best for you like he and I have always done. Clearly, you’re very tired, so we’re going to leave so you can get some rest. Tomorrow morning when you are discharged, you’re coming with me back to my place, and your dad will go to your place to pack you a bag and bring it to my place, is that understood?”

     “I’m 25 years old, mom!”

     “Is that understood?” She spoke again, glaring furiously at Katie.

     Katie fumed again, gritting through her teeth. “Yes, mom.”

 

     The next morning, once Katie had woken up, Katie was given a look over by another doctor, then was discharged to go home. Tony bade both good-byes and went off to Katie’s apartment. Last night, Tony had called Rhodey to help him, so Rhodey was there when Tony had gotten there, and the two of them used the key Tony had managed to convince Katie to give him and went in.

     He was almost disturbed by how normal it looked. It was neat, but not freakishly so, everything was still on the walls, which were clean, and there were no dishes in the sink. The gray sectional was right in front of the large windows, which were obscured by thin white curtains, but Tony had no doubt that behind the curtains was a view that Katie wanted the apartment for. Katie would live in a shoebox if it meant she could have a beautiful view.

     There was a table with chairs close to the couch, and Tony recalls the excitement in Katie’s voice when she first showed him their apartment. “Look, I have a grown-up table with chairs. I’m not eating dinner on the coffee table, I’m like, an actual grown-up!” she beamed, as Zack stood by, also beaming. They had only moved in together six months after dating, and as Tony currently walked around, they had been dating for four years. When she had given Tony her apartment tour, he was still warming up to Zack, but Tony was fooled by how happy Katie was with him, the cute little pecks they snuck to each other, and the way Zack had opened the doors for her, pulled out the chair for her and even picked up the dishes for her.

     Tony showed Rhodey to their bedroom, where the king-size bed had been made, the nightstands only containing the charger cords, and a book on what must have been Zack’s side, “Daily Habit Makeover”. Even before the fight at the Avengers party, Tony found it odd how obsessed Zack was with appearances. He always wanted the apartment to look like a magazine, and Zack refused to ever wear sweatpants out in public. In an even more odd way, Zack didn’t ever look too stuffed up, he just always wanted to look like the “cool” millennial tech bros.

     Tony walked into their closet and could tell which side was Katie’s. Ever since puberty, Katie started wearing darker colors, although, around college, she started wearing dresses again, albeit skater dresses that were still black or dark blue with flowers on them, and only for parties, dates, or any other occasion she needed to look a bit more dressed up. And even as a 25-year-old woman, and a short one, she never wore heels. She had some nice-looking flats that Tony assumed were for the serious academic functions she did, but she was almost always in either her sturdy Doc Marten’s that she had been wearing since high school or a pair of black Converse she was always swapping out. The brightest thing in her closet were a few red and black flannels. Tony grabbed a flannel shirt of hers, a few t-shirts she had hanging up that either was from some of her favorite science fiction movies or had some cheeky feminist slogan on.

     The one Tony was most drawn to was one with Princess Leia in David Bowie’s make-up, reading “Rebel Rebel”. For as long as Tony could remember, after Tony had shown her the original Star Wars trilogy, Katie was obsessed with Princess Leia. All throughout pre-school, she demanded her mother put her hair in Leia’s “cinnamon buns” (which made Tony start nicknaming her “cinnamon buns”), and at six, she asked Tony to take her out trick-or-treating dressed up as Darth Vader, while she dressed up as Leia.

     He walked into the master bathroom, grabbing the stuff that Katie had specifically detailed for him to grab. Katie, like her step-sister and best friend, Marissa, was obsessed with hair and make-up. Marissa, however, wrote about beauty for a women’s magazine-like web site, called The Marlene Dietrich Society but they both were constantly shopping at both Ulta and Sephora, and according to Katie, the only reason Marissa’s beauty collection was bigger was that “she gets a bunch of PR thanks to her job”. So thus, off Tony went to look through the drawers and cabinets of the master bathroom for the meticulous demands Katie had laid out: her morning cleanser, her night cleanser, her shampoo, conditioner, and heat protectant, her moisturizer, her body wash, her shaving cream and razor, her eyeshadow primer, her foundation (“it’s Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, it’s effing magic, dad”), her setting spray, her contour powder, a few highlighters, a hair towel and a shower cap. Tony recalled the conversation they had had back at the hospital that all started when Tony asked what he needed to grab.

     “Do you really need all this for a week?” Jen asked, incredulous at the long list.

     “Nobody really ‘needs’ make-up anyway, Mom, but for my own daily maintenance and self-care, yes, I do.” Katie responded.

     “Should I be writing this down?” Tony had asked.

     “You have a genius IQ and you don’t think you can remember all this?” Katie raised her eyebrow.

     “Honestly no, I just heard half of these words for the first time today.” He said.

     “Then fine. Jesus, I thought you graduated MIT at 17.” Katie rolled her eyes, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil. Tony could tell she was joking and was relieved to see her getting back to her usual self.

     Back in the present, Rhodey’s eyes grew wide as Tony started placing all of the stuff into her weekend bag that he had grabbed from her closet right when they walked in. “Are you sure you’re not forgetting the shower?” Rhodey joked.

     “Obviously not, Rhodey, that would just be ridiculous.” Tony laughed along with.

     Back in the bedroom, he looked through the door to grab a few pairs of jeans, some socks, a bra, and several pairs of underwear.

     “I’m just asking as someone that wants to have kids, does it weird you out when you see your daughter not only owns a black lace bra but has several?” Rhodey asked.

     “Yes, very much, no matter how many times she yells ‘I’m a grown woman dad!’” Tony responded.

     “At least there’s no thongs.” Rhodey laughed with relief.

     Just as they were about to go into the office room, Rhodey reminded Tony to grab her a pair of shoes. Then, they walked into the home office the two of them had shared. On the long desk, each side had their own respective laptops. Tony could easily spot Katie’s because she had put a sticker of the Stark banner from Game of Thrones on it. He also grabbed her tablet, which she had put in a case that resembled an old book.

     “You know, it’s taking a lot out of me not to trash the crap out of this place,” Tony told Rhodey as they walked out of the home office, having grabbed everything and getting ready to leave the place.

     “I know, Tony, but that’s not going to help anyone.” Rhodey reminded him.

     “Please?”

     “No, Tony. You can put his picture on a punching bag when we get home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is appreciated, especially concerning my style. I'm an aspiring writer trying to work on my craft.


	3. There's a fork in the road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie and Zack have reached the news, now not only is Katie facing pressure from her mom and dad to help put Zack away, but it feels like the whole world is pressuring her. She starts reflecting on her and Zack, but is still having a hard time making a decision, until she talks with a certain semi-stable 100-year-old man. Meanwhile, Bucky starts thinking about Katie, and starts wondering if he has any feelings for her.

     Katie was admitted out of the hospital on Thursday, and already by Thursday evening, Zack’s arrest was on the news. Katie couldn’t even figure out why the media was so obsessed with it. Yes, both their parents were well known, and Zack was also assistant to the CEO of a popular tech company, but there must have been something more important than the romantic goings-on between two silver spoon-fed millennials.

     Friday, after her morning class, she saw her father, and Happy Hogan, her father’s head of security, standing right outside campus with a nice car.

     “Ready to go?” Happy asked.

     “Actually Happy, I need to get a few things from my apartment.” She admitted.

     “Seriously?” Tony seemed incredibly disappointed.

     “Dad, you didn’t really grab me that much.”

     “Are you going to grab everything, then?”

     “I can’t dad, Zack’s getting off work in an hour.”

     There was a long sigh from Tony. “You better set a date to grab all your stuff.”

     Happy drove them to her apartment, and she rushed up to her closet to grab some more clothes. She made sure to grab a bunch, so she wouldn’t have to come back for a while. Then came the long four-hour ride back upstate to Avengers HQ, which she had spent reading her textbooks and rereading her thesis on her tablet.

     “You know if you need help on your doctorate—”

     “Thanks, Dad, but I want to get this on my own. Your dad didn’t help you after all, right?”

     “I don’t want to be my father, Kate. I want to be there for you, and I don’t want you to ever question how much I love you.”

     She smiled. “Thanks, Dad, but I don’t want to be the girl who gets her dad to buy her everything by pouting, you know?”

     “So then how do you explain that emo phase you went through in high school?”

     “Oh screw you!” She teased, playfully punching her dad in the back seat.

 

     Ever since Tony had left to be with his daughter, Bucky kept flashing back to when he met her at the party ending the Infinity War. She was standing there in a dark floral dress, wearing black Chuck Taylors. In a sea of women in cocktail dresses with high heels, Katie stood out to him not just because she was pretty, but because she seemed confident in her more “out there” outfit. She walked with a comfortable demeanor as if she was walking around her own house in just her pajamas. Next to her was that boyfriend Bucky would later hear Tony call a “piece of shit”. He was dressed like a lot of the other guys there, in a t-shirt with an obscure logo on it, dark jeans, and a pair of sneakers.

     It was then he saw Steve approach the two of them, Katie throwing her arms around him like a long lost friend. Well, he supposed, he probably was, they haven’t talked in ages. This fact became more apparent when he saw Katie gesture to her boyfriend, who had started shaking Steve’s hand. The three of them talked for just a little bit more, Katie and Steve jovially laughing with each other, until he saw Steve gesture at Bucky, who was standing a ways away, and Steve walked over, while the two of them stood there, talking to each other.

     “Hey Buck, how you doing?” Steve asked.

     Bucky shrugged. “I’m doing okay. Not used to this music, though.”

     “Me neither.” Steve shrugged. “Hey, I’d like you to meet someone, if you’re okay with that?”

     “The girl in the Chuck Taylors and her boyfriend? Sure, they seem nice.”

     Steve looked back over at them, and waved his arm toward him and Buck, gesturing for the two of them to come over. The two of them walked over, hand in hand. “Buck, I’d like you to meet Katie, she’s Tony’s daughter, and this is her boyfriend, Zack. This is Bucky, he’s--”

     “Your best friend from childhood who was also cryogenically frozen?” Katie smiled.

     “Uh, yeah…” Steve shrugged. “I tend to forget that I have my own Wikipedia page.” Steve shrugged.

     Bucky stuck out his hand to Katie, and then Zack, telling them both, “Nice to meet you.”

     “Yeah, Katie and I haven’t seen each other since uh…that thing at the airport…” Steve started, realizing how awkward he was beginning to sound.

     “But we text all the time.” She laughed.

     “So, what do you two do?” Bucky asked.

     “Well, Katie goes to Columbia, where she is studying…uh, what is it again?”

     “I’m getting my doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Computer Science, focusing on Robotics.” She smiled.

     “Yeah, that.” Steve laughed. “So, Zack, what about you?”

     “Well, I just promoted to assistant to the CEO at Troik, we’re a hedge fund company specializing in tech start-ups.”

     “Oh, so you’re a tech person too?” Bucky said, raising an eyebrow in interest. Shuri had gotten Bucky up to speed with all the latest technology when he was in Wakanda, although most people assume he has no clue about any of it.

     “Sort of. I mean, I like all the social media stuff, apps and such…Katie’s the real tech genius though.” He smiled, grabbing her by the side, lovingly squeezing her hip.

     “Oh, I only built my own robot at age 15. No big deal. I hear Princess Shuri is a real wizard.” She said, looking at Bucky.

     “Yeah, she’s amazing.” Bucky smiled. “She made me my new arm.” He smiled, showing it off to the two of them.

     It was then that Katie leaned in to take a closer look at it, while Zack stood there. “Wow, amazing. It moves exactly like a real arm, and yet is so light-weight. What else can it do?”

     “Well, mostly arm stuff, although I can use it to lift really heavy stuff, just like my old arm.”

     “Amazing!” she beamed.

     “Katie, it’s just a metal arm.” Zack rolled his eyes.

     “Just a metal arm? Pah! How many of those do you see every day, Zack?”

     “Speaking of Shuri, where is she?” Steve asked Bucky.

     “The Queen Mother told her she was too young. And T’Challa agreed.” Bucky explained.

     “Ha, don’t I know that story, Dad still gets weird when he sees me drinking at a party.”

     “God, he almost blew his lid at that party back at the old tower when he saw you holding a wine cooler.”

     “Yeah, he even kicked me out and made me go home!” She continued reminiscing with Steve.

     “I mean, in hindsight, that wasn’t a terrible idea. Remember, that was the night Ultron went crazy?” Steve reminded her.

     “Speaking of drinks, I’m going to get myself another one,” Zack announced to them. “Katie, do you want anything?”

     “Could you go get me some rosè?” She asked.

     “Of course.” He smiled, and the two pecked each other on the lips, as he walked off to grab their drinks. It was at that moment, Sam called Steve over to check something out, leaving Bucky and Katie to continue their conversation.

     “So, what do you think of the music?” Katie asked.

     “I’m not really into this…uh, techno?”

     “It’s EDM, but I agree, I’m pretty indifferent to it too.”

     “So, what music do you like?” Bucky asked her.

     “Oh, when it comes to parties, I like the 80s One Hit Wonders mostly, but my favorite is Marina and the Diamonds.” Bucky nodded, not recognizing what she just said, but still finding it fascinating. “So what about you?” She asked.

     “Oh, I guess I’m still stuck on the stuff I listened to in the 40s.” He shrugged. “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right?”

     “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Why don’t you give me your phone number, I can send you some music recommendations I think you might like?” She suggested.

     "I’d like that.” Bucky reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone, as she pulled out hers. They gave their phone to each other, inserting the other as a new contact.

     It was then that Zack came back, two drinks in his hand, and an angry look on his face. “Kate, I need to talk to you in private.” She had opened her mouth, but whether it was a protest or not, he had grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the large room and into a smaller, private room as if he was pulling a child to school.

     Knowing what he knows now, Bucky wishes he had run after the two of them. He wishes he could have stood in front of her, looking him straight in the eye, telling him that that was no way to treat a lady. He wishes he had put a supportive hand on her shoulder, and told her how she deserved better. But at the time, all he had done was stand there watching Zack pull her away, practically scratching his head in confusion, then going over to Steve to continue talking to him.

 

     It was later that night after Katie had settled into her bedroom at the headquarters. Of course, her dad gave her one of the nicest rooms, which was slightly larger than everyone else’s, and had its own bathroom. Her dad told her she could pick whoever she wanted to teach her self defense tomorrow, but she needed to get rest. However, she couldn’t get any. She kept thinking about whether she should testify against Zack. Her mom had convinced her to break up with Zack, but she still wasn’t sure she wanted to testify in court against him. Sure, Zack’s lack of temper control had taken a toll on them, but he wasn’t always so bad.

     The two of them met back in their freshman year of college. They both had a class together, and had joined a tech club, where they became good friends, having bonded over both going to a single-sex school, where they were bullied, she for being a “bastard” because her parents never married, and he because he did not conform to the typical “preppy” mold. He never even made a move on her until senior year. She started college at 16, making her a prime target for many creepy guys, but he had protected her from a lot of them, and even got in a fight with one of them when he had coerced her to sleep with him, then bragged about it.

     When they did start dating, in their senior year, he was practically the model of the perfect boyfriend. He paid for dates, opened doors, lent her his coat when it was cold, and constantly wrote Facebook statuses about how much he loved her. They moved in after graduation, and things still were honeymoon perfect. He would cook dinner sometimes, and when he didn’t cook he did the dishes. He would text her “Thinking of you” throughout the day. Sometimes he would surprise her after lunch by bringing by her favorite coffee. When they went out, he still would have his arm around her and kiss her as they had only just started dating.

     It was after they had been dating for two years. He had been working at Troik for over six months, and one of the start-ups they funded was causing them to lose money. He was starting to become more short-tempered and critical, but she shrugged it off because of his work stress. One of their friends was celebrating their birthday at a nightclub, so they both went out. It already started out bad, because he thought the dress she picked was too short. It only got worse from there.

     There was a guy there that neither of them had met, but was the cousin of their mutual friend. He was wearing a T-shirt referencing the show Gravity Falls, and while Zack was in the bathroom, she felt she just had to compliment him on it. From there, the two of them started talking excitedly about the series finale, talking about how cool the Shacktron was, how sad they were when Stan lost his memories for a minute, and both started telling each other about other animated shows they were watching. Katie was so excited because there were not nearly as many people to talk to about Gravity Falls. Zack even made fun of her for watching it, saying it was a kids’ show. She didn’t even notice when Zack had returned, coming up behind her, telling her they were leaving. All throughout the cab ride home, they kept arguing that she was flirting with that guy, and when they had gotten home, he slammed the bedroom door in her face, so for the first time, she slept on their couch.

     For the next two years, things were still great between them, that is until things started going bad at work again. Then he would start criticizing her for her looks, accuse her of thinking she’s better than him and of not putting as much into their relationship as he was. Then she would do something that would set him off. It started by him being uncomfortable with her talking to guys. When he was calmed down, he would explain it’s because she’s so pretty, and so many guys wanted her, it was hard for him to not get jealous. However, while they were fighting, he would accuse her of flirting with them, sometimes even call her a whore. Then he started getting upset if she was out too late with her girlfriends because he suspected she was out flirting with guys, and that she was not putting as much effort into their relationship as he was. However, it wasn’t until less than a year after the incident at their friends’ birthday party until he got physical with her.

     It wasn't stress at work this time, but stress with his family that was getting to Zack. His mom found that his dad was making secret payments to a waitress in Las Vegas, and looked into it to find out that he had had a secret child with the waitress while he was in Vegas building a resort. His mom was threatening to leave him for good this time, but his dad was talking to Zack and his brother, hoping they could convince her to stay. Katie went out one night to see a concert and then went to the afterparty with her friends since one of them knew the artist performing personally. It was 2 am when she got home, and she tried to be quiet, thinking Zack would be in bed by then.

     Instead, she found him in their living room, sitting in a chair facing the door, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?” he yelled.

     Feeling a little buzzed from the alcohol, she made the mistake of giggling as she answered “No.”

     “Well I’m glad you were having a fun time, all I could think about was whose dick you were blowing.”

     “Lol, there were no straight guys there. Just crazy girls, some gay guys, and a few drag queens.” She kept giggling, too drunk to notice how angry Zack was.

     “I’m glad you think it’s funny that I’ve been spending all night thinking you cheating on me. How would you feel if I got home late after being out with my friends?”

     “I wouldn’t give a fuck.” She shrugged. She had gone into the bathroom at this point and was removing her make-up.

     “I shouldn’t even be surprised that you keep going out to get drunk. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh?”

     Those words had an almost sobering effect on her, as she looked over to him, her face narrowing into a glare. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

     “We all know how much your dad likes alcohol, parties, and women. You like the first two, so tell me, you going to cheat on me, too?”

     “How fucking dare you?” she yelled.

     “How fucking dare you!” he yelled back. “I’m at home worried sick, dealing with my dad’s shit, while you’re out drinking your problems away with New York’s Sluttiest Socialites!”

     She grabbed her purse and turned out of the bathroom, telling him, “I don’t have to take this, I’m sleeping at Marissa’s.”

     “The fuck you are.” He said, grabbing her arm, and then pushing her into their bathtub. She looked back at him, wide-eyed and scared, practically cowering in their bathtub. For a split second, he looked at her in a way before she’d never seen from him. His eyes were narrowed in, glaring into her, his nostrils were flaring, and his mouth curved downward with a snarl to them. This is the look someone gives when they want to kill someone, she thought.

     Then, almost immediately, he realized exactly what he had done, and was all over her, apologizing left and right, helping her out of the tub, throwing his arms around her and kissing her, telling her he had no idea what came over him, please forgive him. Shell-shocked and practically numb, she acquiesced, and he led her into their bedroom, telling her he was going to get her some water and aspirin for when she woke up, then when he came back he crawled into their bed, once again putting his arms around her, continually telling her “I’m so sorry”, and swearing it wouldn’t happen again.

     She quit trying to fall asleep, and walked out into the living room, to watch TV. When she walked into the room, she saw Bucky sitting on the couch, watching the evening news.

     “Can’t sleep either?” She asked him.

     "Shuri did a lot to de-program the HYDRA stuff, but I still have trouble falling asleep.” He explained. “What about you?” he asked.

     Almost as soon as he asked, the screen had shown the newscaster looking into the camera, with a picture of herself and Zack, back in their happy days. “What seemed like a fairy-tale in the making for two of New York’s social elite is continuing to come crashing down as investigators of the NYPD continue to look into the lives of Zackary Harrington, assistant to Troik CEO William Stone, and Kathryn Blumenthal-Stark, daughter of the famous Tony Stark.”

     “Oh right,” Bucky said as she pointed at the screen.

     “As Kathryn Blumenthal-Stark has yet to press charges, they have resorted to looking into Zackary Harrington’s past. Tony Stark has talked to investigators about a physical altercation he witnessed six months prior between Mr. Harrington and Miss Blumenthal-Stark. Also speaking to prosecutors is Miss Stark’s stepsister and close friend Marissa Yakamoto, who is a beauty blogger at The Marlene Dietrich Society. At press time, Troik, the company Mr. Harrington works for, has refused to comment on the story, only saying they are doing their own investigation. Prosecutors have said that while they are confident they can build up a good case against Mr. Harrington, they do say they would have a much easier time if Miss Blumenthal-Stark would offer more details on her and Mr. Harrington’s relationship.”

     “Subtle.” Katie scoffed at the TV.

     “Are you sure you want to be watching this? We can change it to whatever you want.” Bucky offered.

     “You know what, yeah. There’s this old cartoon I used to watch as a kid, Darkwing Duck. It always perks me up when I’m in a bad mood.” Bucky handed her the remote, and Katie changed it to her old favorite childhood cartoon.

     After ten minutes of watching the show, Katie had piped up, asking Bucky, “What do you think?”

     Bucky shrugged. “I’m still trying to understand if this is a world inhabited only by ducks, or if other talking animals exist.”

     “I meant about the domestic violence case.” She said.

     “Oh.” He responded. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but why are you asking me?”

     “Steve is a good friend.” She started. “Whenever I’ve asked him, he’s always given me good advice. And you’re his best friend. I know you and I haven’t talked much, but he’s told me how you have been there for him when no one else was. So I guess, I figured, by proxy, you know….”

     “Oh,” Bucky said. “Are you sure you want my honest opinion? Steve and I don’t really come from an era where we sugarcoated the truth.”

     “Yes.” She said. “If you were me, what would you do?”

     “Well, my mama told me when I was a boy that no man’s problems were ever big enough to justify hitting his woman.” He started, his old school Brooklyn accent peeking through. “I don’t know exactly what is going on with that guy, but if I had a smart, beautiful and kind girl like you, I wouldn’t even think of laying a hand on you.”

     “So you’re saying I should ‘press charges’.” She shrugged.

     “I’m saying you should run, not walk, away from a guy like that, and find yourself someone who treats you the way you deserve.” He said. “If that means pressing charges against him, then sure.”

     She smiled, paused for a minute, then laughed. “You almost sounded like a good old Brooklyn boy back there.” She teased.

     “I mean…” he shrugged. “I did turn 100 years old last February.”

     “Damn, you’s a geezer, huh?” she laughed. “Do you and Steve get the senior discount at Denny’s?”

     “Surprisingly no.” He said. “Not for a lack of trying.”

     They both laughed again, then went back to watching the cartoon, peppered with an occasional quiet laugh. About two hours later, Bucky looked over to see Katie had fallen asleep, her head slumped against the back of the couch. Bucky remembered overhearing Tony show her to her new room earlier. He decided to pick her up carefully, trying not to wake her up and carried her back to her bedroom.

     Looking at her, he felt a twinge of sadness. She was incredibly beautiful, even with the bruising around her neck from Zack. She was so brilliant, she might have even been in the same league as Shuri, Dr. Banner, and her own father. And he remembered how almost every longtime Avenger at the Infinity War party perked up with a large smile when they saw her. From good-hearted Steve to the ever-cheeky Sam, to even the guarded Natasha Romanoff, all of them saw her as a friend. Everyone was worried when they heard she was in the hospital, not just Tony. How could she have ended up with a louse like that?

     He figured Zack wasn’t unattractive, and he seemed charming enough until he literally pulled her away. But the way Tony describes what he walked in on, he couldn’t understand why someone like her would put up with him. She should be with someone who saw how amazing she was and reminded her about it constantly. Someone who only used his hands to pull her face towards his to kiss her as if there was no one else in the world. Someone who only made her scream with laughter and pleasure. Someone like Bucky.

     Just as quickly as he thought that, Bucky tried to shake off the thought, but he couldn’t stop from imagining his arm around her, his lips pressed against hers, and his words whispered into her ear, as she erupts with laughter from him.

     Maybe he was getting a crush on her, but Bucky knew he had to ignore it. Besides, he didn’t know if she was still with that guy, he really shouldn’t be trying to make moves on her.

     God, it was so easier in the 40s, he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is appreciated, especially with regards to style. I'm just an aspiring writer, looking to improve my craft.


	4. Here I am, a rabbit-hearted girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has a talk with Bucky, and they both decide to keep a crucial secret from Katie. Will it come back to either of them?

     “Really?” Tony seemed taken aback. The two of them were eating brunch on Saturday morning out on a balcony looking over the ground. It was almost just the two of them, although Vision had made it for them, and was lurking nearby. Tony asked Katie who she wanted on the team to help her teach her self-defense. He assumed she would pick Steve, who she had become close with, or Natasha because they were both women. Instead, she had asked for Bucky Barnes.

     “Yeah, I mean, why not?” She shrugged.

     “I think the better question is why,” Tony asked.

     “Perhaps it might be because Mr. Barnes is legendary for assassinating many whiles under HYDRA’s influence. Thus, who better to learn defense from?” Vision had hypothesized, overhearing their conversation as he laid down the frittata he made.

     “Right.” She nodded.

     “I mean, if you want a legendary assassin, Natasha is just as legendary,” Tony said.

     “I know, but she is a similar height, I need to know how to defend myself from people who are a lot taller than me.” She explained.

     “But Natasha has more experience defending herself from those people.” Tony countered.

     “He does have a point there.” Vision looked at Katie.

     “Um, Vision, can you go, like, check on Wanda or something?” Katie asked.

     “Wanda is still asleep, she likes to sleep in.” Vision explained.

     “Why don’t you go join her?” She asked.

     “Normally I would, but Mr. Stark asked me to make brunch for you two, because he wanted to make you feel welcome, and because I have been told I have great cooking skills for an artificially intelligent android.”

     Katie sighed, then said, “Then can you get me another mimosa?”

     “Are you sure? I want to make sure everything is satisfactory.” He said.

     “It’s okay Vision, we’re good here.” Tony smiled and nodded. “The food was awesome.”

     “Yes, everything is lovely, thank you,” Katie added, smiling.

     Vision smiled with pride, then walked back into the kitchen. There was a pause outside between Katie and Tony until she had broken it. “Dad, I know you still have a tough time forgiving him for that thing at the airport.”

     Tony almost wanted to tell her the whole truth, but after all that she was going through already, he didn’t want to tell her that the seemingly nice guy she’d been talking to had murdered her grandparents, including the woman her middle name came from. That he was the reason she never knew them. Nor did he want to tell her that her good friend, Steve, had kept it from him, and by proxy, her, to try and “protect them”. She was already dealing with trust issues while trying to leave the man she loved who beat her. He didn’t want to make her feel isolated in her new home.

     “I just want you to be careful right now.” Tony half-lied. “You’re going through a lot right now, I want to make sure you’re surrounding yourself with the best people.”

     “I know the Accords are a sore spot for you all, but I’m sure everyone can manage to move past it, right?” She said. “For the greater good, right?”

    In his gut, he felt queasy not telling her the whole truth. But he knew she couldn’t handle it right now. So he just smiled meekly and agreed with her. “Right. But can you at least compromise with me, and maybe have Steve train you?”

    “All right, I’ll take that.” She said. Having finished her brunch, she put her napkin on the table and stood up. “Can you give me the number of the prosecutors? I think I’m going to give them a call.”

     “Oh, you gonna help them out with Zack?” Tony asked.

     “Yeah, I think I might. With mom’s personal attorney present, of course. But I’ll give them whatever I can.”

     “That’s good. What changed your mind?” Tony asked, looking through his phone to find the number.

     “Uh, Bucky actually did. He and I talked a bit last night when I couldn’t sleep.”

     Another silence came from Tony, as he felt even more worried. He handed the prosecutor’s number without a word, and she walked back in the facility, thanking him for joining her for brunch. Tony could only manage out a “you bet”, then guzzled the rest of her drink, and his own, once she was out of his sight.

 

     It was right at the end of the morning training session between Steve, Sam, Natasha, Rhodey, Carol and Bucky. Except for Natasha, all of them were ex-military, but even Natasha was a former KGB agent, so they were all used to getting up early in the morning, and all would spend hours training in combat, even on Saturdays. Tony had walked in right as they were all leaving to get ready for lunch, spotting Bucky, and starting to make a beeline.

     “Hey Barnes, can we talk in private?” Tony asked.

    “Tony, is there something wrong?” Steve interjected, standing in front of Bucky. Even though it seemed most of their issues from the Civil War were settled, Steve still felt protective whenever Bucky and Tony were alone.

    “It’s fine, Rogers, I just want to talk about Katie.”

    It was then when Steve turned to look at Bucky, and asked his old friend “Buck, did something happen between you and Katie last night?”

     “We just talked, I swear. She fell asleep, so I carried her to her room.” Bucky explained. “Don’t worry, Tony, I won’t go any—”

     “Look, Rogers, I just want to talk with Barnes alone, is that okay?” Tony asked.

     Steve sighed, then acquiesced, walking to the showers with Sam and Rhodey.

     “Tony, I promise, nothing happened between Katie and I last night.” Bucky promised.

     “And nothing is going to happen. I know that you were under mind control when you killed my mom, so I forgave you and let you onto the team, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with you dating my daughter, especially with all she’s going through right now.” Tony said, his words hushed but aggressive.

     “Tony, I agree completely. I won’t even talk to her if that’s what you want.”

    “No, then she’ll just want to talk to you more. Besides, you managed to get her to cooperate with the prosecutors, maybe you can do her some good.” Tony told him. “As a friend.”

    “Strictly friends.” Bucky agreed.

    “Also, while we’re on the subject about that fight in Russia, I don’t want you telling her about it.” Tony instructed.

    “So, will you?” Bucky asked.

    Tony paused, leaning and saying even quieter, “I don’t think she needs to know the details of how her grandparents died, specifically right now.”

    Bucky paused, and said, “I don’t know, I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep something like that from her.”

     “I asked you not to tell her about it, and I told you why. Now can I trust you on that?”

    Bucky hesitated, he knew Tony was right, but he didn’t feel right keeping something like that from her. It wasn’t fair for such a big secret to be known by almost everyone except her. But, Bucky had to admit, if she did find out, how understanding would she have been? She hadn’t really been in the world of the Avengers, HYDRA, espionage and mind control. Would she understand that it wasn’t really him and forgive him? He didn’t think she could, even Bucky had a difficult time forgiving himself over it, and all the other murders he committed.

     “All right.” Bucky agreed. “I won’t tell her.”

 

     Katie had spent the majority of Saturday in her dad and Bruce’s lab, getting her bearings in the place. While her dad had been pushing her since she got her bachelor’s to join him on the team and learn everything from him, she still wasn’t yet sure, but she figured her dad’s lab would be a good place to work on her doctorate project.

     As soon as she had mentioned it, Tony became enthusiastic over the idea, already offering to buy her own desk, and every other supply she needed.

     “Dad, only if Bruce is okay with it.” She said.

     “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine. Just no heavy metal or anything, the other guy doesn’t like it.” Bruce said.

     “Well, then it’s settled.” Tony smiled, opening a new screen so he could reconfigure the lab to fit all three of them. He almost beamed with pride thinking about it. Katie couldn’t help but smile either. While she still wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do after school, she knew she wanted to help people. As she watched her dad show her some desks to look at, she started thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad joining him. She certainly had worried somedays about how he was getting up in years, and what would happen if one day he went off to save the world and didn’t come back, and she could tell he was starting to think about it too. Him and Pepper were still planning their wedding, and he had started spending more time in Malibu to be with her, and started getting more involved in Stark Industries again, despite Pepper being co-CEO. But she knew the only way her dad would leave Iron Man behind is if he had someone he could trust with his legacy, and there were very few people he could trust with it, and it was clear he thought she was one of them.

     After spending time in the lab, it was dinner time. Vision was trying out a new recipe on everyone, a chicken piccata he saw on Food Network a few days ago. She watched everyone around the table laugh and tease each other, wanting even more to be a part of their group. They battled evil on a weekly basis, and had seen some of the worst of humanity, the worst of the universe. And yet, behind the closed doors of the Avengers facility, gathered around the large dining room table, they acted just as normal as Katie’s family at Thanksgiving.

     Some time after dinner, Katie went into the living room to see if the TV was free. Seeing it free, she leapt onto the couch with her laptop, quickly grabbing control of the remote to watch some Futurama while she continued work on her doctorate. Before she knew it, she was knee-deep in her project, when she heard some footsteps come into the room, followed by a deep voice she was beginning to become familiar with.

     “You’re up late.” It was Bucky.

      She was about to respond, until she looked at the time in the corner of her laptop. 2:38 AM. “Oh, you’re right. I guess I lost track of time.”

    “What are you working on?” he asked.

    “My doctorate for my project. I’m making a more advanced system for brain computer interface that allows for improved human computer interaction.” She explained.

    “So….it makes people control robots better?” He asked, trying to gain comprehension.

    “Yes, correct, actually.” She nodded.

     “Really cool, where’d you get the inspiration for that?” he asked.

     “Well, every time I have seen people create multimodal brain computer interfaces, they always seemed so shaky, and reaction times are far too slow. Dad’s suits rely on a separate artificial intelligence personality making the decisions with him, but I wanted to make one where I could make the decisions on my own. But the way the technology is right now, it would be so dangerous in the field, you know?”

    “Oh, in the field? You thinking of joining us?” He asked.

    She paused with embarrassment. “I mean—did I say that out loud?”

   He smiled. “Hey, no big, I think you’d be great for the team, and you could really do great as a superhero.”

    “I mean, dad has been talking to me about it since I finished my bachelor’s, but now that I’m almost done with my doctorate, I don’t know what else I want to do. I thought about working for S.H.I.E.L.D., but I think I would rather be out there saving the world, you know?”

    “So, what would your name be? Iron Lady?” he asked.

     Her nose turned up, and she stuck her tongue out. “Sounds like a medieval torture device. What about Iron Maiden?”

     “That WAS a medieval torture device.” He said, brows furrowing in confusion.

     “And heavy metal band!” She pointed out.

     “Couldn’t they sue for copyright infringement?” He asked.

     “I’m a Stark, I don’t care.” She shrugged.

     “Iron Woman isn’t very punchy.” He admitted.

     “I’ll work on it.” She conceded. “Any way, why are you up so late?”

     He was taken aback for a second, trying to think of an answer. He wasn’t having a nightmare, but the truth was, he woke up with a desire to talk to her, so that was why he walked out to the living room, and found himself lucky when indeed, he saw her in the living room, eyes fixated on her laptop, while a cartoon featuring a one-eyed woman and a drinking robot appeared on the television screen.

    “Eh, couldn’t sleep again.” He shrugged, deciding to go with the simplest answer. “So, what is this cartoon?”

     “You don’t have to watch it, I’m going to bed.” She said, packing up her laptop.

     “I’m not trying to shoo you away, I’m genuinely asking. It looks a whole lot more adult than last night’s show about the superhero duck.”

    She gave him a glare as her head tilted to the side. “I’m 25, you know.”

    He started feeling bad, because it seemed like she was taking offense. “I didn’t mean to offend or shame you, I’m just saying, that robot is drinking a lot of alcohol….that is alcohol he is drinking, right?”

     “Yeah, it’s alcohol.” She laughed. “Didn’t you guys have Bugs Bunny bombing Japanese people, calling them ‘japs’ in your day?” she raised an eyebrow.

    He paused for a minute, then nodded. “Okay, point taken. Now can you tell me what this show is about.”

    She laughed, sitting back down next to him. “Well, that red-head guy, his name is Fry. He was a pizza delivery boy frozen in the year 1999, and woke up in the year 3000. He works for a delivery company owned by his great-great-great whatever nephew that flies in spaceships delivering packages. The one-eyed woman is Leela, she’s a mutant. The robot is named Bender, he’s a bending robot, and he is the reason why this show is rated TV-14.”

    “Hm, a young man cryogenically frozen and wakes up in a completely different time. I might be able to relate to that.” He smiled.

     “Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.” She smiled. “Do you want me to start from the first episode?”

     “Sure.” He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated, especially in regards to prose and style. I'm just an aspiring writer like everybody else here, hoping to get better!


	5. There is no try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie continues mulling over her decision to join the team, which Steve tells her she should do. Katie goes to grab the rest of her stuff from her old apartment, and an argument between her and Zack starts, as Bucky appears just in time.
> 
> (WARNING: This chapter contains a discussion on a past rape. If this triggers you, you should either skip to the next chapter, or drop the story entirely if you would rather).

     By next weekend, Katie had started her self-defense training with Steve. She was unsure of what kind of teacher he would be, but shockingly, he was actually a good teacher. He modified his teaching to her learning style, was very patient and hands-on. When she let it slip that she was thinking about taking her dad’s offer to join the team, Steve was very enthusiastic.

     “Pepper has been wanting him to scale back for ages now, but he obviously would never do so unless he can put his suits in trusted hands. You’re probably the only person who could be trusted with them.”

     “I don’t know about that Steve. I’m just a robotics engineer.”

     “Katie, you’re brilliant! You also want to do good, and you care about people. And you have been through some tough stuff, and still, manage to make it through.”

     “Nothing like the stuff you and Bucky went through, Steve. I just had one bad boyfriend.”

     Steve had put his hand gently on her shoulder. “Tony has told me about what happened in grade school and middle school. I still can’t believe kids could say some of the things they told you.”

     “Nothing you didn’t go through back in the day.” She smiled weakly.

     “And it didn’t stop me then, and it hasn’t stopped you. You’re stronger than you think, Kate.”

     There was a pause, as she smiled wider, and thanked Steve. “Any time, Kate.”

     Steve was right about the bullying. Throughout grade school and middle school, the kids in her grade picked on her for being “weird”, because she didn’t socialize quite like everyone else. One of the tamer things they called her was “robot girl”, and it wasn’t because she was talented in robotics, but because she had trouble reading people’s body language, facial expressions, and gestures. It also didn’t help that, after she had started kindergarten, the teachers had her moved up two grades, so she was two years younger than everyone else. And, going to private schools with kids whose parents were the wealthiest elites, they also made fun of her for her parents never marrying, unlike them, whose parents were all married. She did admit to a sort of satisfaction when she later found that a lot of those kids’ dads had left their mothers for younger women.

     High school was much better, partially because she had her step-sister, Marissa, with her at school who was always there to help and listen to her, and also because her mother insisted upon sending her to a more liberal-minded boarding school, with other students who grew up with unmarried, and some even same-sex parents, and plenty of other girls who behaved “differently” from everyone else. She remembered in 8th grade when she was 12, she asked both her parents to send her to boarding school because she read Harry Potter and really wanted to go to a boarding school because it sounded so cool. She really had to drag her dad’s feet, because he went to boarding school as a kid and hated it, but he relented on one condition: it had to be an all-girls school. From there, her mom and dad looked at several prospective schools, but she picked an independent, non-religiously-affiliated school that touted its “diverse student population” and made its mission to “empower” girls to “make a difference in the world”. He rolled his eyes while looking at the course offerings, such as “Inequality in the United States” and “Speaking Truth to Power: The Literature of Resistance and Hope”, but it ended up being a saving grace for her.

     However, after high school, she went to college, and that’s when she had struggled with a different problem. Despite being two years younger than the rest of her class, she was also considered attractive by many of the boys, due to the large lips she got from her mother, and her curvy body, especially her large chest. It didn’t really seem like a problem at first, with many of the fraternity dudes, athletes, and other preppy boys always hitting on her, even though they knew she was 16. But it started getting uncomfortable because so many of them refused to take “no” for an answer. It would always start with them buying her coffee from the café, or another seemingly generous gesture, but then they would invite her to their dorm, or something else that felt more advanced, and as she would decline, they started getting hostile. Even worse was she would be discounted in all her science classes as just a “pretty face” and felt afraid to ask questions in class.

     The only guy she could really trust on campus was Zack, who had become her friend from a study group in one of their classes. She knew he was trustworthy when one time when they were in line for lunch and she had forgotten her wallet, he offered to pay for her. She started to refuse, but he said, “It’s no big deal, really. I forget my wallet sometimes too, don’t worry about it.” After he paid, he never brought it up again, unlike the other guys, who would throw their “generosity” in her face when she declined their advances. Another time, when another guy was making her feel uncomfortable, Zack happened to be walking by and noticing her discomfort. He walked right up to them and pretended to be her boyfriend, scaring the guy off.

     However, it all led up to her worst night, at a frat party right before spring break. She and a few girlfriends went, and someone gave her a drink. She didn’t remember anything afterward, until she woke up in one of the beds upstairs, with all her clothes off and across the floor. She gathered her clothes, hastily put them on and ran out. But as she was running out, she heard a bunch of dudes, and even some girls, holler at her. She had almost reached her dorm when she bumped into Zack, where she burst into tears telling him what happened. That was when he hugged her and walked her to the campus clinic. They didn’t even need to take a DNA sample to find out who did it, because it was only the next day when one of the guys at the fraternity had started bragging about how he “banged the Stark girl”. When word had gotten out, Zack had gone right to the fraternity’s front door and started fighting him. They were both taken in by campus police, and she was dragged in too. They called both her parents to let her know what happened, and that was when both her parents started raising hell. Her mom threatened to tell the story live on air, her dad told them if the guy who raped his daughter wasn’t gone by next semester, they could “kiss their new engineering lab good-bye”, and both of them threatened to sue the school “to hell and back”. The boy’s parents also started putting up a fight, threatening to pull the new library they were offering, and also threatening to sue, but her dad got the upper hand by calling his dad, who was a Congressman, letting him know that Tony knew all about “those little checks” he had gotten from HYDRA, and he would forward it all to MSNBC if he didn’t back off. The guy was kicked out of his fraternity and from school, Jen had gotten Katie into therapy, and most of the campus had started siding with Katie.

     As she had started remembering it all, she realized Steve might have been right about her being made of sterner stuff.

    

     It was a whole three weeks after Katie had left her apartment, and she decided she needed to go to her old apartment and grab all her stuff. She was going to do this before driving up to headquarters and had gotten the day off, because she figured he would be at work.

    When she was grabbing her breakfast, she had gotten a text from Bucky, asking when she was going to be back at headquarters. She texted back that it might be a little earlier than usual because she had gotten the day off to go grab her stuff from her apartment. This had worried Bucky, as he almost immediately texted back “You going alone?” She told him Zack would be at work, it shouldn’t be a big deal. He started asking if there was anyone in the city who could go with her, she kept telling him everyone else was working, to stop worrying, she’d be fine. This did not placate Bucky, as another text came by real quick, so she turned her phone on silent and went down to her old apartment.

     She had stopped at the UPS store first to get some boxes and a moving dolly. She walked up to her old place with the boxes and the dolly, hoping it would be the last time she would turn the key. She walked in, and started filling up the boxes with all her stuff, starting with her clothes from the bedroom. She was in the middle of grabbing all her stuff from the office when she heard footsteps coming into the room. She looked up to see Zack standing in the doorway, looking angrier than she had ever seen him.

     “I thought you were at work.” She said.

     “I got fired. Because of you.” He said.

     “Don’t blame me, you’re the one who put me in the hospital, you’re the one who called 911.” She told him.

     “I called 911 because I didn’t want you to die. You were passed out, I had no idea what to do.”

    “I was passed out because you choked me!” she yelled.

    “You know what, just get your shit and leave, then I can finally find someone who isn’t daddy’s little princess.” He spat at her.

     “That’s what I was doing.” She rolled her eyes and kept packing up her stuff.

     “You don’t even care that I got fired, do you?”

     She sighed and turned to him. “I’m sorry you got fired. What happened that night had nothing to do with how much you put into that company, and it’s unfair that they tossed you aside for PR points.”

     “Apparently your parents wouldn’t stop talking about it to the press.” He tilted his head, with his teeth wide.

     “You know damn well I can’t control a thing my dad says or does, and my mom is no better.”

     “Yeah, whatever. You had your daddy come to your rescue back at Columbia, and you always will have daddy come save you.”

     “Oh fuck off, you and I both know the only reason we have this apartment is because your dad owns the building. And your dad is golfing buddies with your old boss at Troik, and by the way, who’s paying for your lawyer? You don’t have a job, and yet the fridge is still stocked. And we all know once all of this is over, your dad will find you a place high-up at his company. So, pot, who’s black now?”

     He had started winding up to punch her when they were both startled by hearing the apartment door burst open. He told her to stay there, as he walked to see what was going on. Just as quickly as he had gotten to the entryway, she had heard a “thud” that sounded like someone falling to the floor. She ran out to see what was going on, seeing Zack on the floor, with what looked like a tranquilizer in his neck, and Bucky at the door, putting what looked like a small pistol away.

     “You’ve got two hours before he wakes up, can you get everything out in that amount of time.” Bucky had said plainly as if she was one of the soldiers in his troops.

     “What the hell….”

     “I told you it was a bad idea to get your stuff alone. I grabbed a Quinjet as soon as you stopped answering your texts.”

     “You took a Quinjet into Manhattan because I was moving? Jesus, where did you even park it?”

     “Well not all of us can fly on our own doll, and the traffic in and out of the city is bad on Fridays.” He said, walking over Zack. “I parked it on the roof.”

     “You…what? A military-grade jet, and you just flew it into the city and parked it on a Manhattan roof? My dad is going to kill both of us, right after the U.N. finishes shitting their pants.”

     “And what if I didn’t, your ex over there was probably going to put you right back in the hospital, maybe even kill you. A thank you, next time would be nice.”

     “I didn’t need your help, I had things under control.”

     “Oh, so right before I walked in, you guys were just reminiscing about the good times as he helped you pack up?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

     Katie groaned, then said “Okay, you’re right. Can you at least help me pack up then? These boxes will be heavy.”

    He nodded, following her back into the office to help her finish packing. “Oh, and word of advice: next time you hear someone burst through the door and then you hear a body drop onto the floor, don’t run out unarmed.” She rolled her eyes again.

    

     When they had gotten back to Avengers headquarters, Tony was on the phone, his eyes fixating on Bucky as he gave the two of them a hard glare. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’m taking care of it, right now.” He had hung up his phone without even looking at it, still fixated on Bucky. “Barnes, tell me why the hell you took a Quinjet, flew it into downtown Manhattan and parked it on top of a residential building?”

     “I only did it because someone had come up with the brilliant idea of going to the apartment she shared with Mr. Beats-His-Girl, ALONE and not telling anyone else.” Bucky had said coolly.

     “You WHAT?” he looked over at Katie, his eyes looking as if they were going to bulge out from his skull.

     “I can’t believe you just threw me under the bus! I told you I thought he was at work!” She yelled at Bucky.

     “Have you not been watching the news?” Tony asked her incredulously.

     “After that Today show interview with Zack’s ex, I completely blacked out on social media. Dr. Bartell said it was ‘beneficial’ for my ‘healing process’.”

     “Well maybe if you had bothered to check the news, you might’ve known that Zack got fired a few days ago.” Tony glared at her.

     “Why, so I can hear more about how I’m the stupidest person in the world?” She began to cry.

      Bucky decided it would be good for him to leave, as Tony and Katie both sat down at the table, right next to each other.

      “Kathryn Maria Blumenthal Stark, you’re one of the top robotics students in the country, where would you get an idea like that?”

      “On all the news shows, all they can do is make Zack out to be the next Ted Bundy, and ask why I was so stupid to fall for a guy like that. You know, maybe Zack had his temper issues, okay, but it wasn’t always just the bad times. Remember when I was drugged at that Theta Kappa Pi party?”

      “Of course I do.”

     “Well Zack was the first person I told. I just broke down crying on my way back to the dorm, and you know, he actually hugged me, made me feel like it wasn’t my fault? He was the first person to do that. Hell, he was the only guy there I could remember not making me feel like a scrap of meat. And he would do nice things for me just to be nice. Every other dude there made me feel like I owed them something because they were nice. Okay, that’s why I dated him.”

     He put his arms around her, saying “Do you remember that day when you showed me your place? You were so happy, you just couldn’t stop smiling. I was glad you had someone to make you so happy. That’s why I was so angry when I overheard you guys fighting. The way he was talking to you, it pissed me off to hear my daughter be talked to like that. And when I heard him hurt you, I swear I wanted to grab a suit and beat the shit out of him.”

     She turned to look at him, as he continued “I know you had good times with Zack, but you can have better times with someone else, someone who will treat you the way you deserve. And that’s all me, your mom, Lisa, and Pepper want for you.”

     She smiled meekly, then went back to hug him tight. “Thanks, dad.”

     “And don’t EVER think you’re stupid again, you hear me?”

     “Okay dad, I’ll try.”

     “Do or do not. There is no try.” He said.

     She chuckled, and rolled her eyes. “God you can be a pain in the ass.”

**Author's Note:**

> Criticism is encouraged, especially in regards to my writing style.


End file.
